Chapter 8 Vocabulary

Activity Series of Metals: The activity series of metals is a list of metals ranked in order of
decreasing reactivity to displace hydrogen gas from water and acid solutions. It can also be
used to predict which metals will displace other metals in aqueous solutions.
Balanced Equations: an equation for a chemical reaction in which the number of atoms for each
element in the reaction and the total charge are the same for both the reactants and the
products. ... Also Known As: Balancing the equation, balancing the reaction, conservation of
charge and mass.
Catalysts: a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing
any permanent chemical change.
Chemical Equations: the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction in the form of symbols
and formulae, wherein the reactant entities are given on the left-hand side and the product
entities on the right-hand side.
Coefficient: a numerical or constant quantity placed before and multiplying the variable in an
algebraic expression (e.g., 4 in 4x y).
Combination Reaction: (also known as a synthesis reaction) is a reaction where two or more
elements or compounds (reactants) combine to form a single compound (product).
Such reactions may be represented by equations of the following form: X + Y → XY.
Combustion Reaction: (commonly known as burning) is an exothermic reaction in which
something reacts with oxygen. The combustion of organic compounds usually takes the form
organic compound + oxygen => water + carbon dioxide. ... Combustion reactions are the classic
one of the very most exothermic reaction we can have.
Complete Ionic Equation: a chemical equation where the electrolytes in aqueous solution are
written as dissociated ions. ... Additionally, the net charge is the same on both sides of
the equation.
Decomposition Reaction: a type of chemical reaction in which a single compound breaks down
into two or more elements or new compounds. These reactions often involve an energy source
such as heat, light, or electricity that breaks apart the bonds of compounds.
Double-Replacement Reaction: also known as a double replacement reaction or metathesis, is a
type of chemical reaction where two compounds react, and the positive ions (cation) and the
negative ions (anion) of the two reactants switch places, forming two new compounds or
products.
Net Ionic Equation: are equations that show only the soluble, strong electrolytes reacting (these
are represented as ions) and omit the spectator ions, which go through the reaction unchanged.
Single-Replacement Reaction: also known as a single-replacement reaction, is a type of chemical
reaction where an element reacts with a compound and takes the place of another element in
that compound. ... Here, A replaces B in the compound BC.
Skeleton Equation: just a way of using the formulas to indicate the chemicals that were involved
in the chemical reaction. "Mg + O2 MgO." This skeleton equation shows that magnesium reacts
with oxygen to form magnesium oxide.
Spectator Ion: an ion that exists in the same form on both the reactant and product sides of a
chemical reaction. The ion is unchanged on both sides of a chemical equation and does not
affect equilibrium. When writing a net ionic equation, spectator ions found in the original
equation are ignored.